


Friday Night Hookups and Saturday Declarations of Love

by SpencerMalloy



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Asexual, Hookups, M/M, Mutual Pining, PJO, Solangelo endgame, ace Nico, solangelo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-26 03:40:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13849332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpencerMalloy/pseuds/SpencerMalloy
Summary: Will loves Nico. He loves him, but he can't face it. He has a lot of casual sex to try and cover this up, but it seems his latest hookup wants to double as matchmaker.





	Friday Night Hookups and Saturday Declarations of Love

The glass of his second drink of the night was cold on his lips. Will was contemplating getting wasted or not when he felt the nudge on his arm and the beer from the other man’s glass soaking through his shirt and sliding down his skin. He winced.

“Oh my gods! I am SO sorry!” The dark haired guy said, grabbing a fistful of napkins and looking repeatedly at the stain to Will’s face, unsure of whether to touch him or not. Will took the napkins from his hand and forced his mouth to form a smile even though he could feel the beer starting to air dry and stick to his skin. The guy was cute at least.

“No problem, I was going to throw up on myself later anyway, so…” He trailed off, dabbing at his button up. The guy scratched the back of his head and smiled, looking guilty. “No really,” Will said, “It’s no big deal.” He caught two figures just in the corner of his eye, staring at him. Probably Tall Dark And Handsome’s friends. He gestured to them casually, “Go play, I’m fine.”

“No. I feel bad—my friends can wait; can I buy you another drink?” He asked.

Will’s eyes drifted to his still full drink and then back to TDAH. “I already have a drink,” wow he was actually saying this, “Would you buy me mozzarella sticks?”

TDAH’s smile grew. “Yeah,” he said, “I think I could manage that.”

Will stood and slipped on his jacket, it was unseasonably cold outside for early November. “Sounds great, I’m Will, by the way.” 

TDAH set his glass on the counter and pulled out his phone, probably to text his friends that he was leaving. “Wonderful to meet you, Will,” He said in a playful tone. “I’m Percy Jackson.”

***  
There was only one Italian place in town and it was owned by an actual Italian family, so the pizza was thin with a small amount of sauce and they only bought an ice machine a few years ago due to popular demand. They really shouldn’t even serve mozzarella sticks, as mozzarella sticks aren’t even Italian. At fanciest they originated in 1500th century France and even then, the recipe American’s are used to probably boomed in the bowling alleys and bars of their very own hometowns. But this was a small place teeming with college students and to survive in America, sometimes you gotta sink to its level. Anyway, they were the best mozz sticks Will had ever had and he was very excited to be sharing a basket of them with the green-eyed beauty he’d just met.

“So, Will,” Percy said, still saying his name in the way that one does when trying to remember a name, testing it, “What do you do?”

Will made a face. “Am I really old enough to be asked that?” He laughed. “I’m a med student. I do night shifts in a nursing home around here—and I never get enough sleep. What about you?”

Percy squeezed his eyes shut like he really had to think about his answer (Will was lying to himself if he didn’t think it was endearing). “Can I drop a truth bomb on you, Will?” He asked, finally opening his eyes.

“Only if it’s actually the truth and not some bullshit offensive opinion no one asked you for but you feel inclined to give because you’re a man and obviously every word you say was crafted by Zeus himself.” Will had a tendency to ramble in run-on sentences that barely connected to the topic. His words made Percy crack a smile, though, so it was totally a good sign. 

“Okay, so I followed my girlfriend to college and then we broke up. I never wanted to go to college, and I only know a few of our mutual friends who can still tolerate me,” he munched on a mozz stick, “So I’m just really glad that I was able to meet someone who has no idea who I am or who I was when I was dating Annabeth—But I’m sorry that happened via an extremely cold beer down your shirt.”

Will shrugged. Ex girlfriend? “Not a big deal, I’m a student, it’s not like it wasn’t on clearance at Walmart when I got it.”  
Percy laughed again. Will could get used to that laugh. Girlfriend? 

He said, “So, Will, let me be frank with you one more time,” and Will’s ears perked up.

“Is there absolutely any chance that I can have a random hookup with you tonight; or have your eyes been wandering because of my exquisite fashion sense?” He asked, his lips curling into a smirk. Will felt his cheeks starting to heat up. 

“Depends,” Will said, refusing to let his voice sound flustered even if the rest of him was. “Can we get the mozzarella sticks to go?”

Percy’s eyes trailed down Will’s chest and then back up to his eyes. “That could be arranged,” he said. “When do you think the waiter will be—“ 

Just then a Styrofoam container landed between them as Nico, the owner’s son, hurried past with a tray of food for another table. 

“Stop bringing booty calls into my house, Solace!” he called behind his shoulder in his regular zero-emotion-here voice. You had to really know him to get that he was joking. Will was lucky enough to know him that well. They took gross-anatomy together last year, Nico was studying to be a mortician. 

“C’mon, di Angelo!” Will called after him, grabbing his coat yet again as Percy made his way to the door. “You know spaghetti makes me horny!” 

Nico turned away from the table with an empty serving tray, one hand balancing it and the other planted on his hip. “You don’t even know what REAL Italian pasta tastes like, you ignorant swine.”

Will flashed him a grin and was glad that the place was empty except for that one other couple, and they seemed chill enough. If Nico’s older sister Bianca ever caught him talking like that, he’d have a lifetime ban. Nico rolled his eyes and disappeared into the kitchen, and Will would have been lying if he said he didn’t notice the way Nico had to triple tie his apron around his waist because it was so large on him. He’d also be lying if he said he didn’t notice the way the bow rested above his ass. The way Nico never backed down from a challenge and didn't care if he was being blunt. Really, everything about Nico intruiged him. But alas, he’d seen the asexual pride badges on Nico’s bookbag along with the gay ones—there was no way they’d ever happen. 

Percy, however, was eager and available and holding the door open for him at that very moment, waiting for him to hurry up so they could get on with the rest of their night. Maybe it was shallow, but that was enough for him tonight.

***   
When Will woke up the next morning Percy was tangled in his sheets and wearing one his discarded shirt from the night before. So he smelled like cheap beer. And he drooled in his sleep, but he was cute enough. His class started in thirty minutes, it only took ten to get there but he really didn’t want to be there when Percy woke up. He needed some time to repress the things they did with the mozzarella sticks last night before he could look him in the eye again.

Don’t walk around without boxers, I have roommates. 

He threw on an orange camp T-shirt from his last bout as a counselor a few years ago and slipped into his jeans. It was considerably less dashing than last night’s attire, but, then again, he wasn’t trying to get laid in an 8 am class.

If the colors of the trees weren’t an indication of fall, the smell of pumpkin spice when he sat down in the lecture hall was. He an Nico also happened to have this class together, and Nico was weak af for pumpkin spice. 

Nico was tucked inside his hoodie and sipping on his latte. There was twenty minutes until class started, but both of them were there early. Which was weird. Nico was a morning person, sure, he’d learned that after an all-night study session. All of their other friends were conked out when he woke up at the crack of dawn to the smell of food and wandered into the kitchen to find Nico and Reyna making breakfast. Will stole a piece of bacon and then passed out for another four hours before he had to trudge off to his exam. So Nico was always up before everyone else in the land of the living, but he was never early. Always said he had shit to do but never elaborated on it. Nico pushed a Styrofoam cup towards him as he started to unpack his messenger bag (and by unpack he meant take out the measly notebook and half dead bic pen he had thrown in there after his last class.) 

“Here.”

Will raised his eyebrows. Nico never shared pumpkin spice, if there were two cups, they were both for him. “Special occasion?”

“I can’t believe you got drunk and hooked up with Perseus Jackson last night,” Nico said with a scowl, ignoring the question. “You know we have a test today, right? Everyone knows if you sleep with Percy Jackson, you don’t sleep.”

Will took a long drink from the latte and brought his eyes back up to meet Nico’s. There was a glare in the brown irises, a bit more of one than usual. “Dude, chill,” Will insisted. “it was super refreshing. I’m totally awake.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Sure it was,” he replied dryly. “Well, don’t cheat off of me when you can’t remember the answers. I’ll report your ass.”

“C’mon, Neeks,” Will cooed, “You know no one night stand could replace our bond.”

It was small and virtually unnoticeable because his facial expression never changed, but Nico stopped mid-swallow. It was only two or three seconds worth of time, but it said a lot. Will’s stomach pulled tight. “Hey, uh, Nico—“

“WHO’S READY TO GET FUCKING DESTROYED BY THIS QUIZ!” The teacher yelled, slamming a stack of papers slamming down on the desk. Will hadn’t even noticed the rest of the students fill in the seats around them.

Will sighed and went to the front of the class to grab two tests, handing one to Nico as he sat back down. They weren’t allowed to talk during tests. His confidence had been swallowed up along with his words, anyway. Besides, Nico probably thought he was just some insatiable horn-dog anyway…it wasn’t like he ever gave him reason to think otherwise…

***

Percy Jackson was in his bed when he got home, awake, slurping Ramen noodles and looking at a gnarly picture of a plantar wart from one of his textbooks. If he weren’t so upset with himself, he would have found this hilarious and probably gone for a second round. 

Instead, he said, “Don’t get ramen droppings on my three-hundred dollar doorstop, Jackson.” And Plopped down in a beanbag in the corner of his cramped room.

“Relax,” Percy said with a mouth full of noodles. “I’ve never spilled a single thing. Not cereal or soup or beer—I have a gift with liquids, I guess.”

Will kicked off his shoes and let his head slump against the wall.

“So you’re really a med student?”

“Yep.”

Percy frowned and set his Ramen on the bedside table next to Will’s allergy pills and a bottle of water. He scooted to the end of the bed and laid on his stomach, jaw resting in his palms. 

“Was I really that bad in bed? I mean, I know the mozzarella thing seemed weird but you just looked SO into it and—“

“Gods,” Will groaned. “That is NOT what I’m upset about.”

Percy’s expression lost the worry and he cracked a grin. “Boy troubles?”

“Am I seriously that transparent?”

Percy shrugged. “Kinda,” he said, “And you were flirting with the neurotic Italian last night while I was literally begging to—“

“But I do that with everyone.”

Percy narrowed his eyes. No way he was buying it. “Do you really stare at everyone like the sun shines out of their ass?” He rolled his eyes. “Will, you never told me your last name, but as this is a very serious conversation and I am a very serious person, pretend I just said it for added effect. Now. I am the most charismatic man on the planet.”

Will scoffed. “Debatable,” he tossed a discarded pillow from the night before at Percy’s head—Percy caught it without breaking eye contact. “Anyway,” he drawled. “I’d totally be up for helping you land your dream guy.”

Will’s half-assed smile dissolved into a frown. 

“Nico isn’t exactly…We’ve been friends for three years and I’ve heard stories,” he explained. “he’s not the easiest to get close to and, I dunno. I just feel like I’m so lucky to be his friend in the first place, yknow? I don’t want to go fucking things up. Reyna told me about other fuck-ups and—“

“Reyna Avila Ramirez Arallano?” Percy asked, “Jason Grace’s friend?” 

Will nodded. Percy smiled to himself while he connected the invisible friend trees to himself in the air, “Small world...” and then his smile disappeared. “Wait, Nico? Like Hazel’s brother Nico?”

“Yep.”

“Oh, she is gonna gut you like a fish if you fuck this up.”

“I am aware.”

Percy winced. “Right, sorry, not helping—anyway you’re not going to fuck this up because you’re suave as hell and he’s going to love it.”

“Why can’t all my hookups be this helpful?” 

“Well, my dear, not all of your hookups are me,” he said with a sickly sweet grin that would make Will afraid for his life if he didn’t know Percy was on his side. 

***

“This is an awful idea.”

“No,” Percy insisted, “it is not. It is the perfect plan. Trust me. I’m master.”

Will slumped against the brick wall that served as the exterior to the di Angelo’s shop, a pout present on his lips and his legs feeling like jelly from the nerves.

Percy scowled at him. “What? We literally talked about this all day. Would you really rather use a bunch of dumb pickup lines? On Nico di Angelo? That is such a high school move, Will. You’re an adult.”

“You’re right,” he admitted, blowing his bangs off of his forehead. “I’m just nervous.”

“Yeah I know. Get over it,” Percy said, grabbing Will’s shoulder and shoving him towards the door, “Now get the fuck in there!”

Nico was working the register that day. It was usually Bianca’s job, but Nico did it for her occasionally. He glanced up at Will and then looked back down again without saying hello. “Mozzarella sticks?” he asked, already punching it into the register. Will blushed.

“Nah…actually I was wondering when you got off tonight?” he asked, “I wanted to buy you a milkshake or something, yknow, because I was a dick last night.”

Nico’s expression was unreadable. Or maybe Will just didn’t know how to read it anymore. Or maybe he just wasn’t confident enough to pick through Nico’s brown eyes and see how he really felt. “I’, off in twenty. Want anything while you wait?”

Will looked at the menu even though he already knew everything on it. He handed over two bucks and willed his eyes back down to Nico’s. “Coffee is good.” Will tried to ignore the jolt he felt go through his hand from their fingers brushing when Nico handed over the cup.

To say that Will was mentally preparing himself for rejection in those twenty minutes he sipped on the black coffee was a serious understatement. He was also mentally preparing himself to get his ass kicked. Most of the scenarios he ran through involved anything from Nico throwing a milkshake in his face to Nico literally breaking several of his bone on a faux vintage checkered floor. 

He remembered the actual first time he saw Nico, in one of their shared classes freshman year. There was this one dudebro who looked like a fratboy fucked Joss Whedon and this was the result. The average count of gay jokes per class was fifteen, and Will was getting super sick of it—but he imagined the kid with the actual gay pride sticker on his bookbag who sat directly in front of him had it even worse.

Nico and the guy both sat in the back, so the teacher didn’t look up at them much, which is probably why he didn’t say anything the time the dudebro poked Nico in the back of the head for the duration of an entire test and only griped when he saw Nico turn around to say something to the guy. Nico finished the rest of the test and then left the building. Will had intended to go out and apologize once he was done his test, maybe console him or something. What he hadn’t seen was the dudebro leave before him. What he REALLY didn’t expect to see was this 5’8, fragile looking guy with his knee planted firmly in the back of a 6’5 jock, pinning his arm behind him.

There was a video on YouTube of Nico shredding his knuckles against the guys face and kicking him in the crotch before pinning him down and Will would be lying if he said he hadn’t been proud when he watched it. There were also many obscenities thrown from Nico, half of which Will wouldn’t repeat ever and half of which he couldn’t because they were in Italian. Nico walked away from the fight with a black eye. Dudebro walked away with a dislocated shoulder. Even so, Nico was the one Will patched up in his apartment over some tea.

Will snapped out of the memory when Nico walked over to the table. He had changed out of his black work polo and into his casual black teacher. His hair was still tied back at the base of his neck but he’d lost the apron. Will was happy to see his expression had softened in the twenty minutes since he’d arrived. “Coming?” he asked.

The milkshake joint was just around the corner—but now Will was nervous. Even though Nico’s body language was normal, if not MORE casual than normal, Will couldn’t calm himself down. Should he talk? Ask about his day? And for the life of him, he couldn’t remember how they usually started conversations. Will had no idea how he had known him for years, held normal conversations with him, without telling him he loved him.

Nico looked up at him with what, over the years, Will had learned was a quizzical expression. “You sure you’re okay, Will?” he asked.

Will stopped in front of the shop and held the door open for Nico as he shook his head. They ordered and received their milkshakes in what Will would consider record time. He couldn’t remember how to interact with his best friend but he clearly remembered that the last time they’d been here it had taken forever to get through the line and even longer to find an open booth. The place was startlingly empty for a Saturday night. Nico took a long sip of his strawberry milkshake and Will was pretty sure he was sweating from the stress.

“Okay, seriously, what’s up?” Nico asked. “Did Jackson get you pregnant? You can talk to me about your problems, it’s not like we’re straight.”

Will inhaled like he was about to say something—and then he scooped half a cup of ice cream into his mouth instead. Nico’s face went from ‘What The Fuck’ to ‘Did He Really Just Do That?’ to ‘Of Fucking Course He Did.” Nico glared at him while Will gestured to his mouth as if to say: ‘Welp, guess we’ll just have to wait until I swallow this, sorry, hahaha.’ Unfortunately, it made no difference whatsoever because he still couldn’t think of anything to say.

Eventually he swallowed, the residual brain freeze making him wince and hold the side of his head.

“So, uh,” he managed to say, “I think I’m in love with you.”

Will was just able to open his eyes again and saw Nico blinking. And blinking. And blinking. Will couldn’t read his expression fast enough and by then it was guarded again.  
“You know I don’t do sex, Will,” He said, his voice sounding like he might start crying. “You know that—So don’t say something like that to me.”

Nico wasn’t looking at him anymore. Nico usually made eye contact to the point of discomfort, but now he was very interested in the cracked leather of the seats.

Will scowled, liquid disaster flowing through his veins. “I don’t want you for that. I love you.”

“No you don’t,” Their eyes met again and Will understood why Reyna had described them as broken glass years ago. Nico had been looking at him differently the entire time they’d known each other, and he just hadn’t seen it.

“Would you love me if I was ace, too, Nico?” Will asked. “Could you date me then? Because I will never ask you to do anything you don’t want to do. I’m not an idiot. I understand boundaries.”

Nico shook his head and stood up to leave, milkshake abandoned on the table. “Drop it, Will. You couldn’t spend the rest of your life with me and you know it—“

“I could. I want to try. I want to love you with your permission instead of having to deny it.”

His mouth turned upwards into a sneer. “Yeah?” he challenged. “Will. I don’t even kiss people—it’s disgusting,” he said. “Could you really spend the next fifty years of your life without being kissed?”

His head wasn’t numb from the ice cream anymore, he was just plain numb. Will had looked for Nico in every one night stand he’d ever had, and he’d had a lot. Nico was   
good at intimidation but it didn’t work on him anymore.

“Of course I could,” He whispered. “I could go without air if you asked me to.”

Nico squeezed his eyes shut and his chest shuddered. “Don’t say that unless you mean it.”

Will took a step forward slowly, taking Nico’s hand in his own, his other palm resting against Nico’s cheek. “I would do anything for you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Bonus scene that wasn't good enough to go in the actual story:
> 
> Somewhere across town, Percy, Reyna, Jason, and Hazel were sitting around a coffee table when Reyna pumped her fist in the air. “It’s official!!”
> 
> Percy squealed while Jason rolled his eyes at him. “How do you know?” he asked, “Did Nico tell you?!?”
> 
> Hazel held up her phone for them to see. “Nope. Will is just a slut for updating his facebook status.”
> 
> Jason shook his head. “I can’t believe Leo and Frank just let you leave and fuck one half of the couple we’ve been trying to make happen for two years.”
> 
> “In my defense,” Percy said, “he’s hot as hell and I’d never even seen Will or Nico before last night.”
> 
> Reyna punched his shoulder. Hazel sighed and said “All that really matters is that they’re together now—not how it happened.”
> 
> “So are we making Frank and Leo pay for Chinese food this week or no?” Jason asked.
> 
> “Oh, totally,” Reyna said. “Percy too.”


End file.
